Wednesday, May 25, 2016

We all have heard about how rich people live their lives. It is on both extremes. For Example:

Rich people live in a multi million dollar mansions with all amenities and big show off like private planes, private screening room at their mansion, etc.

On the other hand, some rich people live a simple life. Billionaire Warren Buffett still lives in the home he bought in 1958 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA.

There are other crazy things rich people do. For example:

Professional Basket Ball Star DeShawn Stevenson has installed an ATM machine in his kitchen so he does not have to drive to a nearby ATM machine. (He also charges $4.50 transaction fee if his friends want to use that machine.)

One rich guy has built an emergency room in his home to avoid the lines in the hospital.

Recently I read an article, rich Indians who get married, take a photographer with them when they go for their honeymoon. How great it is. Three is Company. Looks like a one upmanship among the rich people.

I have a few questions. Will the honeymoon album contain photos of outdoor shooting only or will it include indoor shooting also? Will they take with them only a photographer or will they take makeup artists and stylists also? If they end up in a divorce, will they engage a professional photographer for their divorce party?

I have a feeling that people who take a professional photographer with them on their honeymoon are “new” money. “Old” money may not do this. (New money means people who became rich recently and old money means people who are rich for generations.)

I found out there are honeymoon photographers available locally in romantic locations like Paris and Hawaii. Newly married can use these photographers if they are not that much filthy rich.

If you know any crazy things rich people do, please let me know. I will add it here.

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Today is Navy Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla’s birthday. He was born on May 15, 1926 in Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. If he was alive today, he would be celebrating his 90th birthday.

He was commissioned in the Indian Navy in 1948. During the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War (or as someone might call “Bangladesh Liberation War”) he was Commander of INS Khukri. The ship had 18 officers and 176 sailors. His responsibility was to locate and destroy a Pakistani submarine in the Arabian Sea. On the December 9, 1971 night, INS Khukri was hit by torpedoes fired by a Pakistani submarine and sank.

Captain Mulla was calm and quiet. He asked his crew to abandon the ship. He organized the evacuation of the ship’s crew in an orderly manner. There was no confusion and no panic due to the Captain's calm transmitting itself to his men. All the crew members were evacuated from the ship.

Finally his turn to leave the ship. There is an old tradition. Captains don’t abandon their ships. The ship was about to fully go under the water. The evacuated crew begged and cried for him to abandon the ship. He smiled at them. But refused to abandon his ship. He waved at them. Lighted a cigarette. Took a chair and sat on the ship’s bridge. Within a few minutes, Captain Mulla was gone under the water along with his ship, INS Khukri.

His action and behavior and the example he set have been in keeping with highest tradition of the Indian Military.
He was awarded Maha Vir Chakra posthumously for displaying conspicuous gallantry and dedication to duty.

Let us remember Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla today.

I personally think Capt. Mulla should have been awarded the Param Vir Chakra.

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Whether any one likes or not, Donald Trump is the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee to contest for the post of the President of the United States. He will become the official nominee during their convention in Cleveland, Ohio, July 18-21, 2016. All his opponents have crashed out.

In India, the political parties give “ticket” to the contestants to run for any office. They always give tickets to their friends, sons, daughters, in laws, sons and daughters of their friends, etc. But in USA, those who want to contest must be elected by the people to contest. That is called Primary Election.

In USA, it does not matter if the party leaders are against you. You can get the nomination to contest if the people vote for you. That is what’s happening with Donald Trump. He may be a bad choice. But that is the choice people have made. They have to live with it.

A side note: The President of the United States gets daily morning briefings from the CIA as to what is happening in different parts of the world. Both the candidates (Republican and Democrat) also will get the daily CIA briefing. The reason: One of them will succeed as the POTUS (President of the United States). The leadership in both parties hate Donald Trump so much that there is a talk of not giving the daily CIA briefing to him.

Comes to my mind that Mr. Modi was refused a US visa. Once he was elected Prime Minister, USA was practically begging him to visit USA. Same way, if and when Donald Trump is elected as the President of the United States, CIA will be sleeping on his front porch all night to give him daily morning briefing.